Watchcase.



W. J. LARKIN.

WATCHCASE.

APPLICATION man SEPT- 26, 1917.

1 ,3 1 3, 63 6 v Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. LARKIN, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WATERBURY CLOCK (10., OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

WATCHCASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

Application filed September 26. 1917. Serial No. 193.291.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. LARKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Watchcases; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application and represent, in

Figure 1 a plan view of a watch case embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 an edge view thereof on an enlarged scale, with its skeletonized front cover, and crystal, and also its back cover, in transverse section.

Fig. 3 an enlarged broken detail sectional view of the skeletonized front cover.

Fig. 4 a plan view of a front cover also embodying my invention, but of different design as to its perforations.

My invention relates to an improvement in watch cases, and particularly those designed for wrist-watches, though not so limited, the object being to produce a cheap, durable and attractive Watch of the nonbreakable crystal type and to dispense with the use of separate watch-protectors or containers which are at once expensive, bulky and inconvenient.

With these ends in View, my invention consists in a watch-case having its front cover skeletonized and provided with an internally arranged transparent crystal or closure.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, the front cover 2 of the watch case, which also comprises a center-band 3 and a back cover 4, is formed with a concentric opening 5 which exposes the inner ends of the minute hand 6 and the hour hand 7 and with a concentric group of twelve smaller openings 8 arranged to register with, and expose the figures or numerals imposed on the dial 9 for indicating the hours. Within the front cap 2, I install a transparent crystal or closure 10 fitting against the inner face of the said cap so as to effectually close the opening 5 and the openings 8 therein, and thus exclude dust and moisture from the dial 9 of the Watch. Preferably the closure 10 will consist of a disk of flexible celluloid of suitable thick ness, but I do not limit myself to any par ticular material. Thus I might use glass, if desired. Whatever the material employed for the closure, it will be protected by the skeletonized front cover 2 within which it is installed, the crowning cover taking and resisting the blows and pressures to whlch the front of a watch and particularly a wrist-watch, is subjected in use. As shown, the closure 10 is retained in place by the insertion of its edge into a wedgeshaped recess 11 formed by turning the in ner edge of the said front cover inward to form a retaining flange 12 by means of which the cover is snapped over and retained upon the shoulder 13 formed upon the front edge of the center-band 3 of the watch case, the said band being formed upon its rear edge with a corresponding shoulder 14 upon which the back cover 1 of the case is snapped in the usual manner.

The particular mode of skeletonizing the front cover may be widely varied without departing from my invention. Fig. 4 shows a cover 15 having a small concentric opening 16 surrounded by twelve pear-shaped openings 17 having symmetrically arranged curved stems.

I am aware that the front covers of hunting case watches have sometimes been formed with openings for the exposure of limited areas of their dials, but such watches have always been provided with bezel-mounted glass crystals. I am also aware that the pockets of bracelet-like wrist watch receivers have been provided with skeletonized metal guard covers for the protection of the crystal of the watch. I do not, therefore, broadly claim watch-case covers provided with openings for the exposure of limited areas of a watch-dial or a skeletonized metal watchcrystal guard, but only my particular construction, namely, a skele tonized front cover applied to the center band of a watch-case and provided with a crystal or closure installed within it, and taking the place of a crystal or closure mounted in a watch-bezel which I dispense with altogether.

I claim In a. watch, the combination with the center-band of the Watch-case and the hands and the dial of the Watch, of a front cover formed With openings shaped an'd'arran'ged for the exposure of the hands and dial of 5 the Watch and having its edge turned inwardly to form a retaining-flange for its said recess, whereby the openings in the said cover are closed with provision for exposing the said hands and dial to'view.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib- 15 ing Witnesses.

WILLIAM J. LARKIN. Witnesses:

J t R. PUTNAM, G. O. ALLEN.

00p! of this patent may be obtained" for flve oentsteao-h, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

